From the Wreckage
by lilybugsondrugs
Summary: Opal had always been a headstrong girl, with no regard for rules. A freak accident, however, throws her life out of balance and now she has to pick up the pieces of who she used to be, while fending off the vultures who seek to corrupt her mind. M for language, violence, and adult themes.
1. The End

"I'm not broken."

His expression was passive and empty, like he didn't really care what she had to say. Or she interpreted it that way. It was pissing her off. There was nothing wrong with her; she didn't feel like she needed to be fixed.

"I never said you were."

His response made her want to scream and shove him up against the wall. Maybe that would get her point across. She wasn't fragile. She wasn't a ticking time-bomb. And it wasn't fair for them to treat her that way. Accidents happen. It wasn't anyone's fault. But she was suffering the consequences alone. They had no idea how much worse they made it for her.

She had been thinking for a long time about her decision. But it was time now to make a real choice. She never said she knew what she was doing, but maybe it was time. Maybe the things that had happened... had happened for a reason. Maybe it was just time to let go. Move on. Forget.

She turned her back on him and kept walking, even as he shouted after her, asking her where she was going. She said nothing as she walked, refusing to turn. Because those storm gray eyes would always pull her back in, even if she still couldn't figure out why or understand how.

Her mind was chaotic but hollow. She had feelings and some memories but nothing felt the same anymore. Many things had been lost, and she was afraid she would lose herself as well. She was terrified that no one would be able to pull her from the wreckage.


	2. The Beginning

His touch was rough, but she didn't fight it. She relished in his ferocity. The eagerness that swept caution under the rug made her heart pound against her chest and shortened her breath. Opal wrapped her arms around his neck and gave herself over, letting her body be shoved against the nearest wall. His hands groped and caressed every inch of her, soft fingers smoothing across parts of her she'd never revealed before.

Her mind was spiraling out of control, being yanked left and right by thoughts she couldn't make sense of. Passion and fire erupted in her belly as a sudden burst of aggression urged her to take the upper hand of her situation. Opal nearly growled, her eyelids fluttering as her head tilted back.

Opal clawed at his shoulders as her heavy breathing transitioned into panting. She didn't know what she was doing. Her body was screaming at her to keep going but her mind was cloudy. There were too many words bouncing around in her skull. Her ears were starting to ring. His hands had found the buttons of her blouse when she heard a voice.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Opal shoved against the boy trying to undress her, making him stumble and hit the ground. She stared, wide-eyed, hoping to talk her way out of this situation. But when the owner of the voice moved forward, she lost hope of that.

"Get up!" Draco Malfoy yanked the boy to his feet by his collar and shoved him in the opposite direction. Opal watched, beginning to get angry. He had no right to interfere. "Go back to your dorm. Professor Snape will be expecting you in detention tomorrow night."

The boy ran immediately without a word.

"What the hell is your problem?" Opal snapped, taking a step away from the wall in Draco's direction, hoping she looked menacing. "I was having fun."

Draco turned to face her slowly. His grey eyes were storm clouds, dark and angry. His expression made her next words get caught in her throat. What was that look for?

"Oh, my problem?" He was in front of her now, mere inches away. He was far too close for comfort. She wanted to move away from him but he had her trapped like a small animal. "You're the one with the problem, Caskey. If you're going to be dumb enough to screw around with a Hufflepuff you may as well have tried fucking him in the Great Hall."

"That's none of your business, Draco."

"You make it my business!" He snapped, fire igniting in his eyes. He stepped away from her, pinching the bridge of his nose. She wanted to leave while she could, but she felt rooted in place. "This isn't a brothel."

His words felt like knives in her heart. Opal didn't understand it. It should have just rolled off her shoulders. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes and she pressed her lips together, nodding like she agreed with him.

"I'm going to leave now." Her voice was barely a whisper. Opal turned to walk away, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait, Opal, I didn't mean—"

She smacked away his hand. "Don't touch me!"

Draco took a step back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply—"

"Except you did." Opal snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. In comparison to Draco's height, she looked like a child. "I'm not a whore. I've never even had sex."

Draco's expression changed and he shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Opal."

"Stop apologizing. It's getting weird." She looked down at her feet, trying to figure out the sudden change in Draco. He never apologized for anything, even if he was completely in the wrong. She saw everything he did, so of course she knew. They were in the same house, it was hard not to see how big of arse he was.

"Do you forgive me?"

"What?" Her face screwed up into an expression of awed confusion. "I mean... I—I guess. But you better not say anything like that ever again. Or I'll hex you into the second Tuesday of next week."

When he laughed, she couldn't help but allow herself a small smile. That was probably the one thing she genuinely liked about Draco Malfoy. When he was truly amused, his laugh was like a child's—carefree and happy. It was contagious.

"Go back to your dorm, Caskey. And don't let me find you like that again. Or I promise the next time I won't be as forgiving."

"You're a Saint." She said sarcastically, turning on her heel in the direction of the Slytherin commons. With the Hufflepuff boy forgotten, and the only thing on her mind being Draco Malfoy, the trip seemed much shorter than usual. She was lost in thought often these days. Even in class, Opal had the tendency to zone out and think too hard about things. Especially when she encountered a situation she knew she should be familiar with, but was not.

Opal knew she had become a different person than she once was. Even at home during her vacations, she felt like a stranger. Moments she had lost, people she had forgotten... she wanted it all back. Opal couldn't help but feel that maybe she had been given a second chance. Maybe she had done something wrong before, and the accident was like hitting a reset button on her life. Maybe God was letting her right her wrongs.

Whatever the reason, she knew she was missing something. She felt it everyday. It was a hollow feeling, in both her mind and heart. Maybe one day she would find those missing things and finally fill those empty spaces, but maybe she never would. Maybe she was doomed to live like this forever. Forced to rebuild herself without the proper tools. She felt like an alien in her own body. It didn't make sense.

Opal's dormmates had been sleeping for a while by the time she made it to their room. She changed quickly into her pajamas and curled up underneath the plush emerald green blanket, pulling it over her head. She took a deep, calming breath and closed her eyes.

 _Tomorrow is a new day._


	3. Living the Dream

**Two years earlier**

It was late at night. Her room was pitch black, save for the dim glow of her alarm clock and the flashlight she hid beneath her blankets with, illuminating the pages of her textbooks. She studied every night. Not out of a desire to be a better witch, but simply because it was fascinating. She had grown up her entire life without her knowing or even dreaming that magic could exist and now here it was, laid out before her. A wealth of knowledge at her fingertips. Three years had gone by she didn't think she would ever get used to it all. It was like a dream come true, even though it was never something she thought she wanted.

Opal would be returning to Hogwarts in just a couple more weeks to begin her fourth year, but she had already read her new books at least twice each, and was working on her third time. Trying to recall her education before Hogwarts was almost as difficult as trying to remember a time before she was out of diapers.

Most kids growing up already believed in magic, but the kind of magic they dreamt up never made sense to adults, and so it was cute until a certain age. And then it was time to _grow up_. But Opal had never been that kind of kid. She had always laughed at the idea of magic. It didn't exist for her... until one day it did.

Opal closed the history book she was reading and was about to start the next when she heard a crackling noise, almost like static. She threw her blankets aside and looked around her room with her flashlight. Everything looked normal enough, but she felt uneasy, almost as though she was being watched. Opal sat up and climbed out of bed to investigate.

She lived in a three bedroom flat with her parents and little brother, but none of them should have been awake. It was nearly three in the morning. The apartment was empty as she had expected, nothing out of place. She checked the locks on the front door and all the windows, and even went so far as to check on her brother, carefully opening his door to make sure he was asleep.

After being assured that everything was in place and everyone was asleep, she was about to head back to her room when she heard a loud _pop_.

"What the—"

Opal hurried into the kitchen and opened the utility closet. The breaker box was shut, but when she opened it all the switches had been flipped. The power had gone out. She flipped them all back and closed the box, confused but beginning to feel fatigue. It was time for bed.

"Sissy, I'm thirsty."

Opal nearly leaped out of her skin. "Damn it, Ezra, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Her little brother was standing in front of her, looking tired and grumpy. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at her before reaching up with his hands, clearly wanting to be picked up. Opal sighed and lifted him into her arms and sat him down on the counter as she fixed him something to drink.

"You should be asleep." She said as she tightened the lid on his sippy cup. "It's late."

"I'm thirsty." He repeated with a yawn, taking the cup from her and reaching out again with his other hand. She pulled him off the counter and carried him back to his room, getting him settled back in bed.

"I can't sleep." He complained, staring up at her with big, innocent green eyes. The same color as hers.

"You haven't tried yet." She said softly, tucking him in. "Do you want me to lay with you?"

He nodded. She laughed quietly and laid down beside her brother, smoothing his hair back and humming quietly under her breath. She saw him smile as he closed his eyes. Opal almost always gave her brother whatever he wanted. She liked to baby him, and there had been times when he had accidentally called her mommy. Her parents scolded her for treating him the way she did, but she didn't care.

Once she was sure he was sleeping again, she quietly stood and left his room, gently closing the door behind herself.

"Now _I'm_ thirsty..." she muttered, walking back in the direction of the kitchen. She flicked the switch the turn the light on, but nothing happened. She groaned internally. What the hell was going on with their power? Opal wondered if anyone else in their building was experiencing the same issue.

She walked back over to the breaker and opened the little door, shining her flashlight on the switches to reveal that they had, yet again, all been flipped. She sighed reached forward to flip them again, but as soon as her fingers squeezed the first switch and pulled, the breaker popped again, louder this time. And all of the sudden pain courses through her body, along with a tingling numbness that spread quickly but her hand refused to let go. Opal tried screaming but nothing came out. She could feel her heart pounding, protesting against the current running through her body.

And then blackness.


End file.
